The Government of Burkina Faso - The World Countries

Burkina Faso - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Burkina Faso, it was name translates as "Land of the Worthy Men," from the Dyula words burkina, or "worthy," and faso, which means "land" or literally "father village," from fa, or "father," and so, or "village". The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 13 regions; Boucle du Mouhoun, Cascades, Centre, Centre-Est, Centre-Nord, Centre-Ouest, Centre-Sud, Est, Hauts-Bassins, Nord, Plateau-Central, Sahel, Sud-Ouest

National symbols

White stallion.

The flag

The National flag of Burkina Faso has .

The National Anthem

Title
Lyric/music

More about the government of Burkina Faso

Constitution
Date of Independence	5 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday	Republic Day, 11 December (1958)
Legal system	civil law based on the French model and customary law
International law organization participation	has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
History	Several previous; latest approved by referendum 2 June 1991, adopted 11 June 1991, temporarily suspended late October to mid-November 2014; initial draft of a new constitution to usher in the new republic was completed in January 2017 and a final draft was submitted to the government in December 2017; a constitutional referendum originally scheduled for adoption in March 2019 was postponed; on 1 March 2022 a transition charter was adopted, allowing military authorities to rule for three years and barring the transitional president from being an electoral candidate after the transition
Amendment process	Proposed by the president, by a majority of National Assembly membership, or by petition of at least 30,000 eligible voters submitted to the Assembly; passage requires at least three-fourths majority vote in the Assembly; failure to meet that threshold requires majority voter approval in a referendum; constitutional provisions on the form of government, the multiparty system, and national sovereignty cannot be amended
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	at least one parent must be a citizen of Burkina Faso
Dual citizenship recognized	yes
Residency requirement for naturalization	10 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	Transitional President Capt. Ibrahim TRAORE (since 30 September 2022)
Head of government	Prime Minister Joachim KYLEM DE TAMBELA (since 21 October 2022)
Cabinet	prior to the 2022 coups and ad hoc suspension of laws and constitutional provisions, Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Election/appointment process	prior to the 2022 coups and ad hoc suspension of laws and constitutional provisions, president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister appointed by the president with consent of the National Assembly
Most recent election date	22 November 2020
Election results	2020: Roch Marc Christian KABORE reelected president in first round; percent of vote - Roch Marc Christian KABORE (MPP) 57.9%, Eddie KOMBOIGO (CDP) 15.5%, Zephirin DIABRE (UPC) 12.5%, other 14.1% 2015: Roch Marc Christian KABORE elected president in first round; percent of vote - Roch Marc Christian KABORE (MPP) 53.5%, Zephirin DIABRE (UPC) 29.6%, Tahirou BARRY (PAREN) 3.1%, Benewende Stanislas SANKARA (UNIR-MS) 2.8%, other 10.9%
Expected date of next election	were to be held by July 2024, but were delayed
Legislative branch
Legislature name	Parliament (Parlement)
Legislative structure	Unicameral
Chamber name	Transitional Legislative Assembly (Assemblée législative de la transition)
Number of seats	71
Electoral system	Proportional representation
Most recent election date	11/11/2022
Percentage of women in chamber	18.3%
Expected date of next election	June 2029
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation (consists of NA judges); Council of State (consists of NA judges); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel (consists of the council president and 9 members)
Judge selection and term of office	Supreme Court judge appointments mostly controlled by the president of Burkina Faso; judges have no term limits; Council of State judge appointment and tenure NA; Constitutional Council judges appointed by the president of Burkina Faso after a proposal from the minister of justice and the president of the National Assembly; judges appointed for 9-year terms with one-third of membership renewed every 3 years
Subordinate courts	Appeals Court; High Court; first instance tribunals; district courts; specialized courts relating to issues of labor, children, and juveniles; village (customary) courts
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Kassoum COULIBALY (since 24 July 2025)
Chancery	2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone	[1] (202) 332-5577
FAX	[1] (202) 667-1882
Email address and website	[email protected] https://burkina-usa.org/
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Joann M. LOCKARD (since 28 June 2024)
Embassy	Secteur 15, Ouaga 2000, Avenue Sembene Ousmane, Rue 15.873, Ouagadougou
Mailing address	2440 Ouagadougou Place, Washington, DC 20521-2440
Telephone	(226) 25-49-53-00
FAX	(226) 25-49-56-23
Email address and website	[email protected] https://bf.usembassy.gov/
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	4 (3 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Ruins of Loropéni (c); Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites of Burkina Faso (c); W-Arly-Pendjari Complex (n); Royal Court of Tiébélé (c)